Our iPhones hold a lot of sensitive information. Whether it’s photos, emails, notes, or even apps dealing with our finances, it’s important to keep this personal data safe and protected.
Part of keeping your data safe is by making sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, especially if you’re looking to sell your iPhone or send it off for repairs. This is where a full factory reset is crucial. This will restore your iPhone to its original factory settings — just like it came from the store — ensuring the device is completely wiped clean of all your personal information.
Before you factory reset your device, make sure you backup your iPhone data first. For steps on doing that, check out the post: How to backup your iPhone
There are two different ways you can erase the data on your iPhone — either through the phone itself, or by connecting it to your computer. Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds. Below you’ll find the steps laid out for each method.
How to erase your data using iPhone
- Open the Settings app
- Tap on General
- Scroll down and select Reset
- Enter Apple ID password
- Confirm you want to erase all content on your device
- Wait a few minutes for your iPhone to restart
How to erase your iPhone using iTunes
- Open iTunes on your Mac or PC.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer using its original cable
- You may see a message asking for your iPhone’s passcode or to Trust This Computer (follow the onscreen steps).
- Select your iPhone when it appears in iTunes.
- Under the Summary menu, click on Restore iPhone…
- Click Restore again to confirm.
- iTunes to erase the iPhone and install the factory software.
- Once restored to factory settings, your iPhone will restart.
That’s it!
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